The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF and AF-D have superb optical and mechanical quality. They have been among Nikon's most popular lenses for many decades, and rightfully so.

They have superb performance, especially for use on the 36 MP Nikon D800.

As a rear-focus lens, nothing moves externally as it focuses except the focus ring. The all-metal filter ring stays put!

You always have to move the switch on your camera to switch between auto and manual focus. If you just want to grab the ring to focus at any time, get the newer, dinkier Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-S G.

I prefer this original lens to 2012's new plastic made-in-China G version. This original lens offers a better 9-bladed diaphragm, superior mechanical quality that will last a lifetime, isn't gelded so it works on every camera, has a hard infinity-focus stop, metal filter threads, faster autofocus and smaller size than the new G 85/1.8.

This is an FX lens, and works especially well with on FX, 35mm and DX Nikons like the D4, D800, D800E, D7000, D700, D3X, D300s and F6. It works fantastically on manual-focus cameras like the F2AS, F3, FE and FA, since it has real manual-focus and aperture rings that work exactly as they should.

The 85mm f/1.8 AF-D and AF works great with almost every film and digital Nikon camera made since 1977. If you have a coupling prong added to the diaphragm ring, it's perfect with every Nikon back to the original Nikon F of 1959.

The only incompatibility is that it will not autofocus with the cheapest D40, D40x, D60, D3000, D3100, D5000 or D5100, but if you focus manually, everything else works great. These cameras have in-finder focus confirmation dots to help you.

There are two almost identical version of this lens: the original AF version from the dawn of Nikon's autofocus made from 1987-1994, and today's AF-D version, made since 1994.

The only minor difference is the addition of the "D" feature which couples focused distance to the camera for exposure calculations, which only matters with flash. This review applies equally to either version.

The way to identify them is by the "D" on the newer lens (as "1:1.8 D" on the front and side, or by the little slide lock just above the aperture ring. The older AF lens is simply marked "1:1.8" and the little lock above the aperture ring is a better and more complex spring-loaded and rotating pushbutton affair.

Bokeh, the character of out of focus backgrounds, not simply how far out of focus they are, is good enough. If you want out-of-this world bokeh, get the Nikon 85mm f/1.4 AF-S G.

Spherochromatism will also affect bokeh depending on the color of your background.

Here are crops from the center of 100% FX 12MP (D3 or D700) images, focused on a reference phase lattice at 3 meters (10 feet) with synthetic reference vegetation at 15 meters (50 feet). Printed full-image at this size, these would be about 42 x 28" (105 x 70cm) prints, at least as seen on most 100 DPI computer monitors:

Coma (saggital coma flare) often causes weird smeared blobs to appear around bright points of light in the corners of fast or wide lenses at large apertures. In lenses that have it, coma goes away as stopped down.

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D has no visible or measurable distortion at any distance. Whatever it may be, it's less than what would take a factor of ±0.1 in Photoshop's
lens distortion filter to correct. Bravo!

Ergonomics are straightforward: if you don't mind moving the AF-MF switch on the camera to swap modes and keep your fingers away from the focus ring while it's autofocusing, everything else is perfect.

With those caveats, the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D is super sharp at every aperture even on the 24 MP Nikon D3X and 36 MP D800, even the first 1987 version, even out to the corners at f/1.8!

Of course diffraction limits performance at smaller apertures depending on the resolution of your camera. The 85/1.8 is so sharp that f/4 is its sharpest aperture; on the D3X and D800, diffraction makes the image, under ideal test conditions, slightly softer starting at f/5.6!

It's super-sharp on a D3X and D800 even wide-open at f/1.8 edge-to-edge, and gets even slightly sharper stopped down to f/2.8 or f/4.

To get this level of sharpness, you really have to have your technique well dialed-in. If you're out of focus, or your subject isn't flat and well-aligned to your image sensor or film plane, sloppy technique limits sharpness more than anything to do with this lens.

Diffraction means that the 85/1.8 is much softer at f/8 and smaller if you're really looking closely, as it is with all lenses. Most lenses aren't as good as this 85mm, so diffraction's degradation at smaller apertures isn't as obvious with them.

Unlike the new 85mm f/1.8 G which is mostly plastic and depends on a proprietary ultrasonic motor for its heart, this classic screw-focus AF lens has nothing to break inside of it that a good independent repairman can't fix for you 50 years from now.

The plastic on the outside of this AF and AF-D lens is simply a cover to keep it from freezing to your skin in arctic cold; the internals are metal.

Nikon has made a lot of 85mm lenses in its day. In rangefinder days, it called them 8.5 cm lenses. Even my 8.5cm f/2 lens for my Nikon SP is super sharp; all Nikon's 85mm lenses are superb.

This 85/1.8 AF is optically superb, compact, well-made and handles well. There's no reason to look any further, unless you'd rather have a dinkier plastic lens in exchange for instant manual-focus override or need autofocus on Nikon's cheapest DSLRs (then get the 85mm f/1.8 G), or want the ultimate in Heavenly bokeh, for which you deserve the unmatched 85mm f/1.4 AF-S G. For the smallest size, I've always loved my 85mm f/2 AI-s.

I strongly recommend this lens if you want a superb fast prime portrait lens or general-purpose fast, short tele at a reasonable price. It's the one fixed tele I'd grab along with a wide lens for day-to-day shooting.

If you own the 28-300mm VR, forget any fixed lenses in this range; you'll probably not ever pull out a fixed 85 if you have the zoom.

If you have a zoom and want a lens to blow-out backgrounds into smooth, soft colors at a reasonable price, shoot it at 200~300mm, and you'll get the same effect or better than an 85mm lens at f/1.8. If you want a fixed tele for blurring backgrounds at a reasonable price, get a manual-focus 135mm f/2 or 180mm f/2.8 instead. Longer focal length has much more to do with blurring backgrounds than maximum aperture.

If you want an 85mm with incredible ability to blur backgrounds and keep the subject ultrasharp, the extraordinary 85/1.4G is even better than this 85mm AF-D.

So, especially bought used, this 85mm f/1.8 is among Nikon's best lenses ever, at a very reasonable price.

Hint: the included HN-23 metal hood screws into the lens' 62mm threads. The front of the hood has no threads, however any of the Nikon snap-on 77mm plastic lens caps pop right on the front of the hood. If you don't change filters, you could leave the hood on all the time and use a 77mm cap!

Hint: The focus ring moves even during autofocus, so keep your fingers off it.

I'd keep a Nikon 62mm NC filter on it for protection on digital cameras, or when shooting color print film, or B&W film indoors.

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